Numerous articles are carried by consumers through the use of straps which may be placed on the shoulder. Such articles include luggage, brief cases and the like. In addition, straps or belts are customarily used as part of automobile restraint systems. In both cases, sufficient stress may be placed on the straps so as to cause discomfort to the user.
Efforts have been made to provide covers for the straps which cushion the user from the strap or otherwise provide a layer of protection against chaffing or pressure brought by the strap against the user, such as in the shoulder area. However, conventional covers have proven less than satisfactory because they are cumbersome or too expensive to manufacture. One of the reasons for costly manufacture is that the covers are typically composed of multiple components which must be sewn, glued or otherwise connected together. Such components typically include, but are not limited to a sleeve for receiving the strap and one or more protective layers.
It would be a significant advance in the art of strap covers if a cover for a strap-bearing device could be assembled out of a continuous piece of material so as to avoid the costly manufacturing operations associated with connecting multiple components together.